Seven Startups Chosen for NMotion 2014 Summer

Lincoln – NMotion, the startup accelerator based in Lincoln, Nebraska, announced the seven startups accepted into the 2014 Summer program. This year’s cohort includes local startups Adolade, DigiWidgets, MusicSpoke and Pixobot, along with out-of-state startups Turnstile Cards, Commissioner.io, and Athletepreneur who will be moving to Lincoln to participate.

“We’re excited about working with this group of strong and diverse founders. Applications were up 80% from the previous year and included applications from all over the world, so it was tough making the final cut.” said Brian Ardinger, managing director of NMotion.

To capitalize on Lincoln’s growing list of sports-related startups and mentors, including Hudl, opendorse, Lockr, EliteForm, Hail Varsity, Bulu Box, Powderhook and others, NMotion actively targeted sports-focused startups to bring into the program. “We think density is important in a growing startup community since it allows for greater collaboration and connections. At NMotion we wanted to actively look for ways to capitalize on our community’s strengths and build on them,” Ardinger said. Co-founder of Turnstile Cards, Zach Sanderson, “We’re excited to come from one supportive Silicon Prairie community (Iowa City/Cedar Rapids) to another, especially one with a sports startup legacy.”

In addition to sports startups, NMotion’s cohort includes startups in agriculture, music, and digital marketing. NMotion startups receive seed capital, coworking space, and access to a pool of resources including over 100 mentors, training, and developer and designer talent. Each startup will use the 100 days of the program starting on June 2 to work with teams and mentors to test and validate the market, build and prototype their solutions, and prepare for a demo day showcase to be held on September 9th at Nebraska Innovation Campus in Lincoln. Companies receive $15,000 of seed capital in exchange for a six percent equity stake. This funding was provided by Invest Nebraska Corporation along with members of the Nebraska Angels organization and individual accredited investors. Program sponsors include the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, Union Bank and Trust, NUtech Ventures, Nebraska Innovation Campus, and the University of Nebraska along with many other companies and organizations.

Athletepreneur – Online network & marketplace for athletes
Co-founder Mike Fingado is coming from Seattle and his co-founder Brian Dzingai, who is a former Olympian from Zimbabwe, will be coming from Chicago. They are building a professional network and lifestyle brand for collegiate and professional athletes.

Commissioner.io – Sports league management platform
Kunwar Gill and Richard Bansal are coming from Toronto, Canada and are working on a sports league management platform for recreational leagues and their players.

MusicSpoke – Music publishing platform & marketplace for composers
The Lincoln startup MusicSpoke founded by Jennifer Rosenblatt and Kurt Knecht is a cloud-based platform where composers, conductors, and performers can connect and share new sheet music and performances.

NMotion is a mentor-driven, education-focused, startup accelerator based in Lincoln, Nebraska. We focus on high-growth software and technology-based businesses in targeted industries of sports, agriculture, marketing technologies, education, and finance/insurance. We provide an intense 14-week program designed to get your startup moving forward – faster and more effectively. We offer seed funding, hands-on education and access to a group of highly engaged mentors. We combine this with a cohort of fellow startups to create a collaborative community that’s focused and accountable. Further information can be found at http://nmotion.co